Processing cylinders for pile materials



Nov. 29, 1960 A. HART 2,961,733

PROCESSING CYLINDERS FOR PILE MATERIALS Filed Jan. 20, 1956 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. ADOLPH HART ATTORNEY Nov. 29, 1960 A.HART

PROCESSING CYLINDERS FOR FILE MATERIALS Filed Jan. 20, 1956 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 222 224 6 5n 223 222 I92 22 a 230 F 7g INVENTOR.

ADOLPH HART BY Nov. 29, 1960 i A. HART 2,961,733

PROCESSING CYLINDERS FOR FILE MATERIALS Filed Jan. 20, 1956 4 Sheets-Sheet a I r m INVENTOR. BY ADOLPH HART Nov. 29, 1960 A. HART PROCESSING CYLINDERS FOR PILE MATERIALS 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Jan. 20, 1956 h NW; cm l INVENTOR. ADOLPH HART United States Patent G PROCESSING CYLINDERS FOR PILE MATERIALS Adolph Hart, 49 N. 2nd Ave, Mount Vernon, N.Y.

Filed Jan. 20, 1956, Ser. No. 560,312

4 Claims. (Cl. 26-2) This invention relates to a machine for processing fur or other soft, high pile fabric material, such as disclosed in my copending application Serial Number 535,610, filed September 21, 1955.

The main object of the present invention is the provision of a machine and procedure for enhancing and improving the quality and texture of a pile, whether woven or otherwise applied to a textile material.

Another object of the invention is to provide a machine for processing and treating various types of woven, knitted or felted fabrics by straightening the projecting fibers whereby soft, velvety or nap surface effects are produced.

A further object of the invention is to provide a novel pile fabric finishing machine and process for enhancing and refurbishing the pile, which will give the pile a rich, lustrous and noncrushable effect as a result of relatively short treatment without damaging the fabric or the pile, and without decreasing its normal wear or durability.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a machine of this kind with a pair of relatively long heat ing cylinders movable in opposite directions arranged to successively process the web of material as it passes through the machine so that the fabric material may be run through the machine only once to give the desired beating, heating and combing effect.

A specific object is to provide a heating cylinder for a processing machine of this kind which has a plurality of spaced grooves with sharp ironing edges or faces so spaced that they will assure uniform treatment of the entire pile without streaking or otherwise giving excess or under-treatment to any portions of the material.

A still further object is to embody in the heating cylinder an improved means that will impart heat uniformly and with maximum control to the Web passing through the apparatus.

For further comprehension of the invention, and of the objects and advantages thereof, reference will be had to the following description and accompanying drawings, and to the appended claims in which the various novel features of the invention are more particularly set forth.

in the accompanying drawings forming a material part of this disclosure:

Fig. 1 is a front elevational view of a machine formed according to the present invention, parts being shown in section and parts being broken away.

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view taken transversely through the machine substantially on line 22 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view on line 33 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional view on line 44 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a developed view of one of the heating cylinders.

Fig. 6 is a similar view of the other heating cylinder.

2,961,733 Patented Nov. 29, 1960 Fig. 7 is an enlarged, detail sectional view on line 7-7 of Fig. 5.

Fig. 8 is an enlarged, fragmentary sectional view through one of the heating cylinders showing the means for connecting the same to a plurality of heating elements confined therein.

Fig. 9 is a longitudinal sectional view through one of the heating cylinders.

Fig. 10 is an enlarged sectional view taken on the line 10-16} of Fig. 9.

The apparatus constituting the present invention includes front base plates ll) disposed at the front corners of the apparatus, and rear base plates 12 at the rear corners thereof. At one end of the apparatus, shown as the left-hand end in Fig. i, there is provided an end housing 14-, while an end housing 16 is similarly provided at the opposite end of the apparatus. The housings, as will presently appear, contain the driving mechanisms of the apparatus, and extending between the housings are the several rolls and cylinders past which the web is led.

End housing E l (see Figs. 1 and 2) includes a vertical outer side wall 18, a vertical front wall 29, a vertical rear wall 22, a horizontal top wall 24 lying in a plane below the upper end of the outer side wall, and an inner, vertically disposed side wall 26. The several walls provide an upstanding, rectangular end housing recessed at its upper end, and mounted in the recess are bearing support plates 23 on which are mounted a pair of inner and outer heating cylinder bearings 3-9.

At its lower end, outer side wall 18 is recessed, and bounding the edge of the recess are upwardly converging support legs 32, 34-, leg 3 merging into a horizontally disposed motor support plate or ledge 36 which in turn merges into an upstanding motor housing wall 38 vertically disposed in transversely spaced relation to a rear motor housing wall Within the rectangular housing provided in this manner there is disposed a drive motor 42 having associated therewith a gear reduction mechanism.

End housing 16 is formed substantially similarly to the housing lid, and includes vertical front and rear walls 44, as respectively, an outer side wall 4% and an inner side Wal 51' Lying in a horizontal plane below the upper ends of the walls 4%, 5b is a horizontal top wall 52, on which is mounted pairs of inner and outer bearing support plates 54 to each pair of which are secured pillow block bearings 56, 53 aligned coaxially with one another and with the bearings 3t Adjacent each hearing 56 (Fig. 1) there is mounted an upwardly projecting, transversely disposed electrical connector support plate 68. These are shown also in Fig. 4, and projecting outwardly from each plate es at the upper end thereof, in parallel relation to the common axis of bearings 56, 53 is a spindle 62.

Mounted upon each spindle 62 are annular electrical insulators or spacer discs as, alternating with brushes 66 (Fig. 4-), eight brushes being provided in the preferred, illustrated embodiment. The brushes electrically contact annular, conductive rings 68 that alternate with spacer discs Ill of insulating material, and are secured to outer and inner heater cylinder stub shafts or trunnions 72 and 72 for rotation therewith.

Shafts 72 and 72 are each journalled in bearings 56, 58, and project outwardly beyond the outer sidewall 4-3 of end housing 16. The projecting end of each shaft is secured to a large diameter driven pulley 74 about which are trained belts 76 passing also about a drive pulley 78 secured to the shaft 84) of a heating cylinder drive motor 82 mounted in ahousing 84 (Fig. 4) provided in the lower end of the end housing 16. A supenemas port bracket 36 projects inwardly from the outer wall of each housing 84, and is connected to a motor support ledge 88, said ledge 88 being pivotally adjustable upon bracket 86 so as to raise or lower the motor at one side thereof, thus to correspondingly adjust the tension of belts 76.

The outer and inner heating cylinders have been generally designated at 90 and 90', respectively, and are illustrated to best advantage in Figs. 1, 3 and 8. Each includes a sleeve 92 contacted by the web of pile material F that passes through the machine, and formed of an electrically insulative material having a high rating of thermal conductivity, such as a commercial plastic, namely, Bakelite or the like.

Formed in the outer surface of each sleeve are spiralling grooves 94, 96 having closed ends. The curved grooves 94 are arranged in parallel extending longitudinally of the cylinder, and being spiralled in one direction, for example, of a right-hand helix. Grooves 96 are also arranged in parallel and being angularly spaced about the circumference of the cylinder 90 a distance of substantially 30 of the grooves 94 at opposite sides thereof. The grooves 96 are formed identically to the grooves 94, except for being of opposite hand, and as shown to particular advantage in Fig. 5, the ends of grooves 94 terminate adjacent the end portions of the grooves 96 at opposite sides thereof. The same is of course true of the grooves 96, these terminating adjacent the end portions of the grooves 94. On the sleeve of cylinder 90', between grooves 94 and 96, nonspiral, longitudinal grooves 95 are provided, which are substantially one-half of the length of grooves 94 and 96, and are used for untwisting the yarn while grooves 94 and 96 effect a combing or brushing action thereon so that the fabric is rendered free from streaks. These grooves 95 are omitted from outer cylinder 90.

The particular groove arrangement has been found to provide an improved brushing action, that is adapted to raise the nap of the web F uniformly as the web passes in contact with and is heated by the cylinders 90 and 90.

The particular cross-sectional shape of each groove is also of importance, and has been shown to advantage in Fig. 7. Each groove includes a radial wall 98, and a wide, gently sloping wall 100 having a transverse convexity. Short, flat walls 101 are disposed at opposite sides of the sloping wall 100, one of the walls 101 being extended radially of the heating cylinder and the other wall being disposed at the base of the wall 93 and being normal to said wall 98. This particular construction has been found to be especially effective in producing a proper brushing or combing of the nap during operation of the machine.

Referring to Fig. 8, extending longitudinally of the inner surface of each sleeve 92 for the full length of said sleeve, and angularly spaced uniform distances apart about the inner circumference of the sleeve, are shallow, transversely curved keyways 102, receiving keys provided upon cylindrical electrical heating elements 104, 106, 108, 110, 112, 114, so that said heating elements rotate with the sleeve 92.

The heating elements are identical in length to one another, and are formed open at their opposite ends, and as shown in Fig. 9, are spaced apart by fiat, thin spacer discs 116, 118, 120, 122, and 124 formed of electrically insulating material with center openings. At opposite ends of the series of coaxial heating elements, end insulating discs 126, 128 are provided, these being slightly thicker than the discs previously described and being formed with smaller center openings.

The heating elements 104 to 114 are electrically connected to each other and to a thermocouple 134 and to a source of electricity by the electrical connections 102a, 104a, 106a, 108a, 110a, 112a, and 114a.

Abutting against the end spacer discs, and holding the series of heating elements in position within the sleeve 92, are plugs 130, 132, of insulating material centrally apertured to receive the ends of the heating cylinder trunnions or shafts. One of these shafts of each cylinder comprises the shaft 72 (or 72) hereinbefore described, and the other shaft is journalled in bearing 30 and has been designated at 133. In the illustrated, preferred embodiment, there are six heating elements, and means is provided to supply electrical power to each of said heating elements independently of that supplied to any other element, thus permitting control of the temperature of each element independently. Means is also provided to supply heat independently of the electrical heating elements to the sleeve 92 of each cylinder, toaid in the uniform distribution of heat through the material of said sleeve. In other words, the electrical heating elements provide heat which is transmitted through the sleeve 92 to the material being processed, and also, the sleeve 92 is independently heated by means of an electrical heating element or wire 134. In Fig. 9, an electrical heating element or wire is illustrated at only one end of the heating cylinder 90, but it will be understood that a similar heating element will also be provided at the other end, formed in the same manner.

The electrical heating element or wire 134 is provided with leads projecting from the adjacent end of sleeve 92, and as shown in Fig. 10, a set screw 136 is threaded into a collar 138 formed upon shaft 72, the set screw bearing against leads 140 extending to electrical heating element or wire 134.

As shown in Fig. 9, there are eight brushes 68, and the two brushes 68 furthest to the right in Fig. 9 are used to supply and lead off current flowing through the leads of heating element 134. The next two brushes 68 have leads extending to the heating element 114, while the next two have leads extending to the heating element 112. The two brushes 68 furthest to the left in Fig. 9 are used in association with leads extending to heating element 110.

The left-hand end of the apparatus, viewing the same as in Figs. 1 and 8, is provided with a brush and conductive ring assembly 141 similar to that shown at the right in these figures of the drawing for each cylinder 90 and 90'. The two brushes furthest to the left of assembly 141 are used to supply electrical power to the electrical heating element similar to heating element 134 at this end of the heating cylinder, while the remaining brushes are used in pairs, to supply current to heating elements 104, 106 and 108, respectively.

Rheostatic control means can thus be associated with the several pairs of leads that extend to the electrical heating elements 134 and the other heating elements, to provide for an accurate control of the heat produced by the same.

The spacing discs are each provided with apertures providing paths through which the leads are extended from the brushes to the several heating elements as illustrated and described in my aforesaid pending application.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 3, overlying the heating cylinder is a cover 156 to which is hinged a lid 158 extending the full length of the cylinders, the lid 158 having hingedly connected hood-like extensions 160, 162 extending downwardly at the front of the apparatus.

The end housings are also provided with covers, the housing 16 having a removable cover 164 (Fig. 4). Housing 14 would be similarly equipped. The several rolls and cylinders, in their desired relationship, have been shown in Fig. 3, and as will be noted, there are provided front and rear feeding rolls 166, 168, respectively, disposed in a substantially common horizontal plane and extending in parallelism with and below the heating cylinders.

The front and rear feeding rolls are mounted on shafts 170, 172, respectively, shaft projecting (Fig. 2) at its ends through forwardly projecting feeding roll end plates 174. Within the end housings, bearings 176 are provided, the ends of shaft 170 being journalled therein, and

a hand wheel 178 is secured to one end of shaft 170, to effect manual rotation of the same whenever desired. Below the feeding roller 166, a cylindrical guide bar 180 is mounted, with its ends clampably engaged in clamps 182 secured to the inner side walls of the end housings.

Below and slightly rearward of rear feeding roller 168 is a heater shaft 186, having longitudinally extending radial blades 184. Spaced between and below the heating cylinders 99 and 90 is a spreader roller mounted at its ends in bearings 188, the spreader roller being desig nated at 1%. Another spreader roller 1% is positioned horizontally and forwardly of cylinder 91).

A cradle is provided in the machine for each cylinder and each includes spaced idler rollers 192, 194, about which is trained a wide belt 196 which in width is approximately equal to the length of the front feeding roll 166.

Reference should now be had to Figs. 1 and 2, showing the means for driving the several rollers, with the exception of the heating cylinders which are driven separately by the motors 82. Motor 42 is provided with a drive pulley 198. A belt 20% passes about pulley 198, and is trained about a larger driven pulley 262 secured to shaft 170.

Also secured to shaft 174 is a pulley 204, about which is trained a belt 2% passing about a pulley 208 secured to the end of the spreader roller shaft.

A second pulley 210 is secured to the shaft of motor 42, and drives a belt 212 passing about the shaft 186 of the beater.

Another pulley is secured to shaft of motor 42 and drives a belt 212 passing around spreader roller 190 for riving same.

From the construction illustrated and described, it will be seen that drive is supplied from motor 42 for rotating the front feeding roller, the spreader rollers, and the beater shaft. rive is transmitted to the rear feeding roller directly from the front roller, through the medium of a sprocket 214 secured to shaft 170, a chain 216 passing about said sprocket and about a sprocket secured to the rear feeding roller. The sprocket and chain connection between the feeding rollers is disposed within the end housing 16, at the end of the apparatus opposite from that in which motor 42 is mounted.

Extending the length of each heating cylinder 90 and 9t) and the several rollers is a cradle generally designated at 218, the idler rollers 192, 194 being a part of said cradle. Each cradle is pivoted along its rear end upon a rock shaft 226 extending in parallelism with the heating cylinders and mounted for vertical adjustment within bearings 222, the bearings 222 being mounted upon the inner side walls of the end housings for adjustment in a vertical direction. Projecting forwardly from the ends of shaft 228 are arms 224, and connected between said arms are transversely spaced channel members 226, 228. Connected between the midlength portions of each pair of channel members is a connecting plate 230, extending into the bifurcated upper end of a piston 232, said piston being pivotally connected to the plate 230 and projecting upwardly from a cylinder 234 to which air or other pressure fluid can be supplied under pressure. At its lower end, cylinder 234 is pivotally connected at 236 to a forwardly projecting plate 238 fixedly mounted upon the midlength portion of a transversely tilted angle member 24% extending the full distance between the respective end housings (see Fig. 1).

Angle member 244] is mounted upon the inclined front wall of a downwardlly opening, channel-shaped bottom plate 242 of the apparatus, said bottom plate being connected between the respective end housings 14, 16 and being of downwardly opening, channel-shaped cross section for the purpose of reducing to a minimum the unused space Within the apparatus, thus to improve suction within the apparatus in a manner to be made presently apparent.

Adjustment of the distance between each pair of idler rollers 192, 194 is effected by mounting roller 194 in a sliding follower block 246, the roller 192 being mounted upon a stationary block 244. A threaded screw 248, having a hand knob projecting beyond the front edge of the cradle, is threadedly engaged with the block 246 and when rotated, adjusts block 246 and hence the roller 1% toward or away from the roller 192, thus to adjust the tension upon the belt 196 trained about said rollers.

Air or other fluid under pressure is led to the cylinders 234 through the means of a pipe assembly 256, with the inflow and outflow of air being controlled through the medium of a two-way valve 252, so that air can be supplied to the opposite ends of each cylinder through hoses 253, to extend or retract the piston, as desired.

When the apparatus is in operation, lint, dirt, and other foreign matter extracted by the beater, feeding rollers, and heating cylinders from the web of pile material F is sucked out of the apparatus, by provision of a suction conduit the inlet of which has been shown at 254 (Fig. 3). Suction is set up within said conduit in any suitable manner, and draws air inwardly through the front of the apparatus past the web as the web moves through the machine.

In use, the web of material is moved by the motors and threaded through the machine in the manner shown in Fig. 3, being trained about the beater 184, rear feeding roller 168, inner heating cylinder 96', spreader 190, outer heating cylinder 9d, spreader 199', front feeding roller 166 and guide bar 18 9 in succession. At the same time, the piston 23?. of each cylinder 234 is extended to swing its respective cradle 218 upwardly moving its respective cradle 218 upwardly from the solid line position to the dotted line position thereof shown in Fig. 3 thereby causing the belt of the cradle to engage and press against the underside of the web F, tending to hold the web firmly against the surface of the respective heating cylinder. The web is disposed in contact with the heating cylinder with its nappy surface faced toward the heating cylinder, and the edges or faces of the grooves 94, 96 effect a brushing or combing action upon said nap during the ironing thereof. Cylinder 96' lifts fibers that incline in one direction and cylinder 96 lifts the fibers inclined in the opposite direction.

The cradles can each be swung upwardly to any desired extent, by control of the air or other pressure fluid supplied to its cylinder, thus to correspondingly adjust the amount of the web F that is in contact with and the pressure on the ironing or heating cylinder. In other words, by adjusting each cradie to the dotted line position thereof shown in Fig. 3, the web is in contact with its heating cylinder through only a small portion of the periphery of the heating cylinder. Adjustment of the cradle to a higher position causes a greater portion of the circumference of the heating cylinder to be in contact with the web F, and at the same time causes the web to be pressed more firmly against the surface of the heating cylinder, thus to increase the amount of heat supplied to the web by prolonging the length of time in which the web will be in contact with the heating cylinder while passing through the machine.

At the same time, adjustments are possible in the tension of the belt 196 of each cradle, and thus, by selective tensie-ning of the belt 196 in relation to the extent to which the cradle was swung upwardly, the web F can be placed in engagement with the circumference of the heating cylinder over a substantial portion of said cirournference, while at the same time not being pressed against the cylinder with any more than a comparatively small amount of pressure. The pressure of the web against the heating cylinder can thus be regulated in respect to the portion of the heating cylinder circumference which is in contact with the web. a

. The heating cylinders in a short time will straighten, lift and separate the fibers, preventing or eliminating felting, and will straighten and raise up both the nap and the pile. The machine has a particular application to pile fabrics embodying the synthetic piles including rayon,

. Orlon, nylon, cellulose acetate or the like.

It will be understood that the machine may be operated with only one of the heating cylinders in action in which case the cradle associated with said cylinder will 'be moved into operative position bringing the web of material against said heating cylinder.

While I have illustrated and described the preferred embodiment of my invention, it is to be understood that I do not limit myself to the precise construction herein disclosed and that various changes and modifications may -the spaces between said heating elements, central bored plugs in the ends or said sleeve, shafts extending through said plugs in engagement with the end discs, an electrical heating element connected to each of said shafts, each of said latter heating elements being connected to a source of E.M.F., the sleeves of said cylinders having pairs of curved grooves in the outer surfaces thereof,

extending lengthwise thereof, the individual grooves of each pair being inclined oppositely, the sleeve of one cylinder having a straight groove between the individual grooves of each pair of curved grooves, the ends of said straight grooves overlapping, said straight grooves serving to untwist the nap of the fabric while the curved grooves render the nap free of streaks.

2. As an article of manufacture, a heating cylinder for use with a fur or pile processing machine comprising an elongated sleeve of insulating material having a high rating of thermal conductivity, a plurality of tubular heating elements disposed in end to end spaced relationship in the sleeve, insulating discs in the spaces between said heating elements, central bored plugs in the ends of the sleeve, supporting shafts extending through the bores in said plugs, an electrical heating element connected to each of said shafts, said latter heating elements being connected to a source of E.M.F., said sleeve having pairs of curved grooves in its outer surface extending substantially lengthwise of the sleeve.

3. As an article of manufacture, a heating cylinder for use with a furor pile processing machine comprising an elongated sleeve of insulating material having a high thermal conductivity, a plurality of tubular heating ele ments disposed in end to end spaced relationship in the sleeve, insulating discs in the spaces between said heating elements, central bored plugs in the ends of the sleeve, supporting shafts extending through the bores in said plugs, an electrical heating element connected to each of said shafts, said latter heating elements being connected to a source of E.M.F., said sleeve having pairs of curved grooves in its outer surface extending lengthwise of the sleeve, the individual grooves of each pair being inclined oppositely, each groove in cross section having radial side walls and a base having a straight portion adjacent each radial side wall with a convex portion therebetween.

4. As an article of manufacture, a heating cylinder for use with a fur or pile processing machine comprising an elongated sleeve of insulating material having a high 1 thermal conductivity, a plurality of tubular heating elements disposed in end to end spaced relationship in the sleeve, insulating discs in the spaces between said heating elements, central bored plugs in the ends of the sleeve, supporting shafts extending through the bores in said plugs, an electrical heating element connected to each of said shafts, said latter heating elements being connected to a source of E.M.F., said sleeve having pairs of curved grooves in its outer surface extending lengthwise of the sleeve, the individual grooves of each pair being inclined oppositely, and an elongated straight groove in the space between the individual curved grooves of each pair of grooves, the ends of said straight grooves being in overlapping relation said straight grooves serving to untwist the fur while the curved grooves render the fur free of streaks.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 384,487 Wiles June 12, 1888 1,344,777 Stroud June 29, 1920 1,496,356 Noonan June 3, 1924 1,913,114 Green June 6, 1933 2,035,641 Dickie et al. Mar. 31, 1936 2,172,869 Frommer Sept. 12, 1939 r 2,376,500 Nelson May 22, 1945 2,407,380 Nelson Sept. 10, 1946 2,477,448 Friedman July 26, 1949 2,526,906 Schaab et al. Oct. 24, 1950 2,552,593 Schaab et al May 15, 1951 2,630,619 Schmidt et al Mar. 10, 1953 2,633,731 Friedman Apr. 7, 1953 2,701,958 Schaab et al. Feb. 15, 1955 2,712,230 Schaab et al. July 5, 1955 2,713,785 Friedman July 26, 1955 

